Linda Mwananchi has accused President William Ruto of interfering in the Masinde Muliro Market in Kitale, backing Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya in a dispute over the facility’s funding, completion and management.
In a statement issued on Monday, October 19, 2026, the movement criticised the President’s involvement in the project and accused the national government of undermining devolution.
It also alleged that the deployment of security personnel during the standoff was intended to intimidate Natembeya.
The dispute intensified after Ruto officially opened the market on Friday, October 16, while Natembeya maintained that his administration had financed the development and accused the national government of taking credit for a county project.
The market, named after former politician and independence-era figure Pius Masinde Muliro, was commissioned in the 2017/18 financial year at a contract cost of KSh874,280,383.
However, construction was delayed for several years, prompting concerns over project completion and value for money.
An audit report on the Kenya Urban Support Programme for the financial year ended June 30, 2023, showed that the Kitale Business Centre was 91 per cent complete during an inspection in October 2023.
Payments had reached KSh637.4 million, while the contractor had reportedly been absent from the site since August 2023. Outstanding works included painting, electrical installations, floor finishes and external roads.
In February 2026, the county government handed over the remaining construction work to the national government.
County officials said Trans Nzoia had invested approximately KSh800 million and that the facility was about 95 per cent complete, with the national government expected to undertake the outstanding works.
Ruto said he intervened after construction stalled for years and mobilised national government funds to complete the facility. He also said traders displaced during construction should be prioritised in the allocation of trading spaces.
Natembeya, however, has challenged the national government’s role in the project, arguing that county-funded development should respect the constitutional division of functions.
The disagreement has since extended to the allocation of stalls and the administration of the market.
In its statement, Linda Mwananchi cited audit queries concerning construction delays, repeated extensions to the contractor’s timeline, variations in project costs and documentation relating to land ownership.
It said the Senate County Public Investments Committee directed the county government to resolve the queries and later commended its efforts.
The movement further claimed that the audit queries had been resolved. However, its statement did not include the committee’s inspection report to independently substantiate that assertion.
Tensions surrounding the market escalated again on Monday, when water cannons were reportedly deployed ahead of Natembeya’s planned visit.
The confrontation followed political clashes in Kitale on October 16, which the National Police Service said left two officers injured and two government vehicles damaged.
Police announced investigations into the incident and called on political leaders and supporters to maintain peace.
Linda Mwananchi said it would continue supporting Natembeya and Trans Nzoia residents, insisting that the market should serve the traders for whom it was built.
The movement called for respect for devolution, the Constitution and the rule of law.
The standoff leaves questions over the management of the facility and the allocation of stalls, even as the national government has participated in completing the project.
The competing claims over funding and responsibility now place the market at the centre of a wider dispute between the national government and Trans Nzoia County.
